Scene 40: Stronger
[ It's only been a couple days since Lyrik's victory at the Saffron City Gym, but her and the rest of her team are feeling on top of the world. She's finally starting to feel like she can actually succeed at conquering the Indigo League..! And although there's a lot of Training she needs to do before then, she also knows that rest is an important part of that.
Lyrik is sitting atop a rock holding an old fishing rod. She sits quietly, watching the bobble as it sits atop the surface of the small lake. Charmeleon is seen in the background with the other Pokémon. While Charmeleon and Hitmonlee are having a flexing competition, Bulbasaur is napping under a warm ray of sunshine trying his best to ignore the sounds of the others running in circles playing a game of tag. ]
Lyrik shuts her eyes tightly as she thinks back to when she used to go fishing with her father as a child… [ "Now, we gotta be quiet or else the Pokémon might hear us and be spooked!" Lyrik nods. She was barely 4 or 5 years old that day… Her father, Allegro, holding onto her little rod with one hand. They would sit for hours like this. In perfect silence. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "And just when you're feeling perfectly in-tune with everything around you… The wind singing as it flows through your hair, the sound of the Pokémon playing in the forests… that's when you know you're ready." And in that moment Lyrik felt a hard tug on the line.
She gasped, "Daddy! Daddy! I've got something!" Allegro helped his small daughter pull on the rod,"Atta girl! I wonder what it'll be!?" She looked up into his gleeful face, "You think I caught a Gyarados, or something?" He laughed, "I don't know, Baby! Perhaps so!" They pulled and pulled until finally the line came into view. They both looked with opened mouths as a dirty old boot hung out over the water before them. Allegro suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. He slapped his knee. She looked up into her father's face to see tears in his eyes.
"That's some Gyarados, huh?" Though baffled at her father's reaction, she couldn't help but smile. She didn't get what was so funny, but her father's laugh was contagious. Soon, they were both laughing so hard." ]
The wind blew Lyrik's hair into her face. She didn't think much of her parents now-a-days, but that memory was special to her… She felt a pull. Lyrik's eyes flashed open. The Pokémon all turned as she stood atop her rock, pulling with all her might at the line.
Just that morning as they neared the end of Route 6 an old man carrying a tackle box approached her and her Pokémon as they were eating breakfast. He offered her the old rod claiming he didn't need it anymore. Lyrik hadn't gone fishing since before her parents left. She was surprised she could still remember that day so clearly after all this time. She mumbled to herself, "Please be something more than a smelly ol' shoe!"
As her Pokémon cheered on her efforts, Lyrik gave one final pull. Something large came splashing out from the water. She was realistic and knew there was no way she'd find something like a Gyarados in a lake so tiny- maybe a Goldeen or even a Kingler? Those would make for great additions to her team, for sure! She blinked in disbelief as she stared at the yellow Pokémon hanging from the end of her line. The Pokémon all looked to one another, just as confused. She pulled out Dextyn just to double-check, "I'm pretty sure that's a Psyduck..?" The Duck Pokémon.
She cocks an eyebrow as she looks at the Wild Pokémon, "But I'm pretty sure these Pokémon aren't normally caught while fishing…" She reels the line in closer. The Psyduck is just sitting there, not even moving in the slightest. She pokes it, " 'Vacant look' is right. Are you even alive?" After a moment, Pysduck seems to realize that it's been caught on a fishing hook. He begins to flail madly, screaming out in panic.
Lyrik is flustered, "Uhm! Hold on! Stop moving! Let me get you untangled!" She tries to help but the Psyduck doesn't even notice. He bats her in the face with his foot as she reaches out. The Pokémon run forward all trying to get the Psyduck to calm down. After a few minutes, they've finally managed unhook the Psyduck. He gives a sigh of relief. He smiles around at them all, his mind past the traumatic event already. Lyrik looks between the Wild Pokémon and the image on the Pokédex screen. There's something different about this Psyduck. Then it clicks.
"You're fat." Psyduck is shocked at her words, though she didn't mean to hurt his feelings. She looks back at him realizing what she'd done. Psyduck is looking defeated, his eyes turned downward. She tries for a smile, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, I meant… you're really well fed, is all!" That didn't seem to make him feel better at all. "Maybe I should stop while I'm already behind."
Lyrik stood. She collapsed her fishing rod and stuffed it in her bag before returning the Pokémon to their Pokéballs. She turned to wave at the Psyduck, "Anyways. I'm glad you're alright. See ya." Psyduck watched as Lyrik continued down the path towards Vermillion City.
At the Pokémon Center Nurse Joy gives Lyrik directions to the Gym while she waits for her Pokémon to be healed up. Soon enough, Lyrik is standing just outside a tall building near the harbor. By the looks of the paint job outside, Lyrik can tell what kind of gym this is. She waits as the automatic doors slide open. She steps over the threshold into a dark room.
Someone starts laughing in the shadows, "Will you look at that! A baby has walked into our midst!" Heavy footsteps draw Lyrik's attention to the corner of the room. She gulps at the sight of the man. He's more than double her size, has extra large beefy arms, and is wearing some kind of military uniform. He smiles broadly as he removes his sunglasses, "Hey, you Little Tyke! What do you think you're doing here?" She doesn't know what to say at the sight of him. He gives her a playful grin, "I'm Surge! So you want to battle?" After a moment she nods, "Y-yes, Sir!" He looks back at his disciples standing just behind him, "Will you look at that, a pint-size challenger!" Ok, now Lyrik was starting to get annoyed.
They're soon standing on the battlefield. Surge's cronies join them in the large room, standing off to the side. Lyrik's gotten used to having a small audience during her Gym Battles. One of the girls catches her eye. She's smaller than all the others and has short green hair… Something about her seems familiar.
"It may not be very smart to challenge me, but it takes guts! So! Let's do this thing!" He readies his Pokéball, "The name's Lt. Surge! And this is how we welcome guests here at the Vermillion City Gym!" He throws the ball to reveal a strange looking Pokémon. Dextyn calls it a Magneton. Lyrik starts with Hitmonlee. With his quick footwork, Hitmonlee manages to keep up with the levitation abilities of this magnetic Pokémon.
While the battle ensues, the door opens just a bit. Without anyone noticing the head of a yellowish Pokémon pokes in. It's same Psyduck from before! He had been intrigued by this young Trainer, following her all this way. He stood just inside the door watching her battle alongside her Pokémon. She calls out a command, "Double Kick!"
Hitmonlee jumps up high, his foot finally landing on Magneton's body. Magneton crashes into the battlefield, but something strange happens when Hitmonlee comes in for a landing. His body feels jolted. Lyrik looks at him with a confused look, "Are you ok?" One of the ladies watching from the sidelines explains to her about Pokémon Paralysis. Hitmonlee might not be able to move for a while. In that moment, the rubble begins to move. Magneton is back up. It rams itself into Hitmonlee.
Hitmonlee can't even fight back. Magneton uses Lock-On before beginning to power up. Surge chuckles, "No way we can miss now..!" A powerful Zap Cannon hits Hitmonlee straight-on, knocking him out. Lyrik returns her Pokémon, "I have to figure out how to take care of that Paralysis… Plus, Magneton is able to levitate." She gets an idea.
"Go, Bulbasaur!" Her plan works perfectly. When Magneton comes flying in for an attack Bulbasaur dodges. Again and again they manage to escape. Magneton is turning a slight shade of pink as it becomes frustrated. Flying in for another attack, Lyrik calls out her attack. Bulbasaur jumps up just in time and releases a cloud of strange purple powder. Lt. Surge tries to cover his mouth, "That's Poison Powder!" But it's too late for Magneton. It's losing energy fast. And with a final powerful Razor Leaf, Magneton is out!
Lyrik high-fives Bulbasaur's vine, looking across the way towards Lt. Surge. She gives him a taunting look, "Don't you get it? We can be strong, too!" Psyduck, entranced by the scene of battle, is getting excited. Lt. Surge returns his Magneton and looks at her. She seems to remind him of someone, though he can't figure out who.
He laughs, "Hope you're not getting too excited over there, Baby. We don't want you wetting yourself." Everyone is laughing. Everyone except for Lyrik. He grins, "It's not over yet. It's just beginning!" But Lyrik is ready for whatever he has up his sleeved. "I refuse to lose to someone like him!" Lt. Surge throws out his next Pokémon…